so im heading to lisbon and the algarve in about 5 weeks and obviously bringing the mavic. ive been trying to read up on the rules there and its honestly confusing me more than helping. from what i can tell you need to register with ANAC and have your EU drone operator ID but like... does that actually apply if youre coming from the US or do they have some kind of tourist exception? i cant find a straight answer anywhere.

also curious if anyone has actually flown around sintra or the pena palace area because those photos look insane but i suspect thats all restricted airspace or protected land or something. would love to know before i haul the whole kit over there for nothing.

did portugal last summer with my air 2s. the ANAC registration thing is real but honestly i never got stopped or asked for anything the whole trip. flew near cascais and out near sagres, nobody cared. sintra is a different story though ? that whole area around the palace is basically off limits, its a UNESCO site and there are signs everywhere. i tried to find a legal spot nearby and it just wasnt worth the hassle. the coastline further south is absolutely worth it though, some of the best shots ive ever gotten.

not portugal specifically but ive done spain and france and the EU drone rules are kind of a patchwork mess depending on where youre from. i just downloaded the DJI fly safe zones before i left and used that as my rough guide. not perfect but kept me out of trouble. def get the flysafe map downloaded while you have wifi before you go anywhere remote